Work to lay water pipes in Kasauli damages Dharampur-Sanawar road

The Dharampur-Sanawar main road was damaged during the laying of 12-inch pipes for a Rs 103-crore potable water scheme in the Kasauli area. This one of a kind scheme floated to augment water supply to the Kasauli area has become hazardous for travellers as the road excavated for laying pipes has not been repaired. Driving has become particularly perilous for two-wheeler riders, particularly at the time of navigating bumpy patches.

DEPT ALLOCATES Rs 1.08 CRORE

A sum of Rs 1.08 crore has been deposited by the Jal Shakti Department for the damage caused to the road while laying pipes. Gurminder Rana, EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, KASAULI

In 2013, Rs 1.37 crore was spent on this 7-km Sanawar-Dharampur stretch where uplift and relaying of culverts was undertaken. Though there was a proposal to repair three or four worst-hit patches in September, the work could not be executed. Shoddy patchwork was undertaken to fill some potholes from the Sukki Jori side.

The stretch of a few kilometres from Moti Kona to Sanawar Gate was the worst hit where the construction of some realty projects has caused further damage. The culverts have been damaged while digging. The transportation of heavy construction material in trucks has eroded its sides.

Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Kasauli, Gurminder Rana, when asked, stated that a sum of Rs 1.08 crore has been deposited by the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) for the damage caused to the road while laying pipes. An additional sum of over Rs 1 crore has been sought for the remaining work as more pipes were supposed to be laid over the remaining 1,500-m area from Kimmughat towards Kasauli.

He said the Jal Shakti Department has been asked to undertake manual digging over the 1,500-m patch as the road was narrow at the said place. The mechanised excavation as was being suggested could lead to bigger damage to the road. The road was already facing severe water seepage issues at places like Bankhor where a culvert was damaged and shoddily laid pipes along the road surface have reduced scope for future widening of the road. While the two departments are virtually locked in a confrontation, residents are sufferers as tenders would be floated only after testing of the water supply scheme is completed once all pipes are laid. Residents will have to wait till the weather becomes appropriate for laying bitumen.